\ELMONT, N.Y. -- Tencendur began his career as a horse that looked like he was going to be a one-run closer. Over the course of the winter and into the spring he has done a transformation of sorts.
Whether it’s the addition of blinkers or maturity -- or a combination of the two -- Tencendur has started to become more tactical.
At Palm Beach Downs on Friday, trainer Todd Pletcher sent out his Kentucky Oaks hopeful Eskenformoney to breeze an easy four furlongs in 49.58 seconds in company with Curalina.
The pair cruised through an easy opening quarter-mile in 26.06 with Eskenformoney nearest the rail. Pletcher asked his riders to pick up the pace at that point, the duo coming home in 23.55 with Curalina sticking her head in front right at the wire but while under considerably more pressure to finish than Eskenformoney, who was well held at the end. The pair then galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.63.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Any reservations trainer Rick Violette had regarding how his Kentucky Derby hopeful Upstart would be affected by the sinus infection he contracted over the weekend were erased in 59.47 seconds, the time it took the Florida Derby runner-up to work a half-mile and gallop out five furlongs Friday at Palm Meadows.
Los Alamitos has reduced the purse for the Los Alamitos Derby and the number of stakes for its two-week Thoroughbred meeting in July.
The eight-day meeting July 2-12 will have four stakes worth $750,000 in total, compared to seven races worth $1,150,000 in 2014, the first year the meeting was conducted. Los Alamitos significantly overpaid purses during the 2014 meeting.
The highlight of the July meeting will be the $350,000 Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles on July 4, a race worth $500,000 last year. Shared Belief won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Derby in 2014.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In each of the first four races Sunday at Keeneland, Mike Maker and his former assistant, Joe Sharp, both have scheduled starters. Maker has the morning-line favorite in every one of those races, while Sharp has the second choice in three of the four.
Sharp has enjoyed an extraordinarily hot start to his training career since going solo last September, having won with 48 of his first 183 starters (26 percent) while steadily expanding his roster of clients.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Forever Unbridled is on the alternates list for the Kentucky Oaks, but what? Is Dallas Stewart supposed to be worried?
The last two years, Stewart sent out longshots to run second in the Kentucky Derby only after they made the field because of defections of horses with higher preference. Those Stewart-trained colts were Golden Soul, second at 34-1 to Orb in 2013, and Commanding Curve, second at 37-1 to California Chrome in 2014.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Nick Nosowenko set a career high for wins at a Woodbine meet in 2014 with 13, and he is well positioned to exceed that total this year after winning with three of his five starters during the meet’s opening weekend.
“My throat is still hoarse,” Nosowenko said. “It was a good start.”
Nosowenko found the winner’s circle with Simply Belonging and Splashy Gizmo on Saturday and added to that total Sunday when No Soup for You won the fifth race on the card.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Something Extra was so impressive in winning the Grade 3 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland on April 4 that he caught the attention of representatives from the Royal Ascot meet.
Trainer Gail Cox said Something Extra has been invited to run in either the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes on June 16 or the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes on June 20 at Ascot, but the 7-year-old gelding likely will remain in North America for a summer campaign. His next start likely will be the Grade 3 Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on May 1.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland in late October will be just that – a dirt mile.
Breeders’ Cup officials met with a number of jockeys and trainers on the main track here Thursday morning before announcing that the BC Dirt Mile, which has undergone numerous variations since its inaugural running in 2007 – will indeed be run as a two-turn mile despite Keeneland never having run such a race because of the relatively short run into the first turn on its 1 1/16-mile main track.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Calgary Cat comes into the 2015 season with the goal of defending his title as Canada’s male sprint champion and likely will kick off his campaign in the $125,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes on April 26, trainer Kevin Attard said.
